Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcdc!hpldola!ritchie From: ritchie@hpldola.HP.COM (Dave Ritchie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Software "Contracts" (Was Re: Software Development And Piracy) Message-ID: <11800007@hpldola.HP.COM> Date: 10 Jan 89 21:16:44 GMT References: <6534@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> Organization: HP Elec. Design Div. -ColoSpgs Lines: 70 WARNING: rebuttal on credit cards, etc. and flame reply ahead. Skip if not interested. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- / hpldola:comp.sys.amiga / johnm@trsvax.UUCP flames:/ >A man walks up to you and says, "I'll give you a chance to order things by >mail using a means that the company you are ordering from will almost always >screw up. They will double bill you, incorrectly bill you and bill you >ages before they ship a damned thing. This will probably only take two or >three months to clear up." Strange. I would handle this in two ways. I keep a form letter around for bozos that do this sort of thing that I send to the company filling in the date and other specifics (total 10 minutes) saying that I am turning the charge over to VISA and then I send another letter to my card issuer saying why I am not paying it (non-receipt of goods, failure to fill order in a timely fashion) etc. THEN I NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THAT COMPANY AGAIN. Why screw around with the cheapest when they have crappy service? The other thing is to send a mail order confirming the phone transaction if it is a new company I have not previously done business with stating that it is a confirmation of the phone order and stating that the order is cancelled if not fill within 30 days. This make the phone order fall under the mail order rules from the FTC and gives me leverage through the post office, etc. if they screw up. I have order many things thru the mail this way and have only had problems in 2 cases, both of which were cleared up quickly. >"Additionally, I'll be kind enough to either: charge interest from the moment >of purchase, OR stick you with a yearly charge of $25 for this service. Not >enough for you? Well, then I'll throw in the fact that you will typically >need more than one card because not everybody will accept just one. That will >add to the number of bills arriving in the mail, increase the chances of >having a card lost or stolen and add to the amount that you are paying for >this marvelous service." 25 day grace period, $6 year (VISA), 25 day grace, no fee for Discover. This is for cards for both my wife and I. I am sorry that you have had a bad experience, however. >I suggest in the future "Dave" that you read what I post. Go ahead, try it. >Right at the top of this posting is what I already said. The jist of it is, >"I don't have a credit card, nor do I want one. There are probably others >who feel as I do and therefore the idea of only distributing software by modems >to credit card holders is a dumb idea." There now. That wasn't so hard was >it? I didn't suggest that you cut your cards in half or in fact that anyone >who now uses credit cards stop. Only that I don't. >John Munsch Well John, that is all very nice... however, the majority of businesses look upon people without credit cards to be ....ahhhmm... deadbeats. I find your assertion that rental companies etc. will rent cars etc. without a credit card to be true, but typically you have to put up the rental costs +20% in cash and be over 25 (which I am). If you don't have a stable employment history, a phone in your name or are under 25, good luck. I personally don't trust rental companies with cash -- it is amazing the amount of 'damage' that occurs to their vehicles. The point I want to make is that your opinion does not reflect that of the majority of businesses. Now as to flaming - there is a time and place for being irate. By my posting, I was expressing my opinion - as you where in your posting - that you were being irrational in your beliefs with regard to credit cards. Flame to your heart's content - I quite frankly don't care. I'll consider the source and treat it in the same way that I treat all content-free material - I'll ignore it. Dave Sigh... One more for the kill file.